There

She feels him tremble next to her
As the last of his resolve breaks
The guns roar, overhead planes soar
Beneath them the ground quakes

She knows he sees it in his mind
As he tries to pay his respects
To the friend from school he lost in Kabul
But he can’t lose his effects

She saw the change right away
As soon as he walked through the door
He was dead inside, empty-eyed
Not a joker like he was before

She tried to talk to him a little then
But found it was just too hard
Every now and then she tries again
But she doesn’t ever get very far

She knew today would be the day
She’d finally see him bear
A little more than he had before
He can’t hold back his hurts today

She steals a glance as he bows his head
As they lower him into the ground
She wonders how she’ll talk to him now
And if his smiles can still be found

She knows not now, not just yet
He’s got a world of hurt in his eyes
As they fold the flag, she sees him sag
As he says his last goodbyes

And finally there he breaks down
Unlocks a world of pain she can’t understand
She lets him cry, for now doesn’t try
And just reaches through it to hold his hand